WCSSAA season to be put on hold

WCSAA season to be put on hold

High school hockey will be just one of the sports that goes on hiatus from Dec. 10 to 31, as WCSSAA games and practices have been cancelled under a directive from the Waterloo Region District School Board. The union representing high school teachers is directing teachers to boycott extra-curricular activities after a vote this week.

Greg White knows disappointment. The last two seasons as the Jacob Hespeler Hawks senior boys’ football coach he’s been on the losing end in the Waterloo County championship game.

But after Tuesday’s announcement that the Waterloo Region District School Board is cancelling extra-curricular activities following a vote by Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation members to pull teachers from all volunteer activities – including the Waterloo County winter sports schedule from Dec. 10 to 31 – he’s found a new level of discouragement.

“It just takes the wind out of your sails,” said White, Jacob Hespeler’s athletic director, admitting that he can’t say too much, as all teachers were directed to have media speak to the board’s spokesperson, Mark Schinkel.

“You can imagine (the feeling). We’re just unhappy and there are so many scenarios out there and you really feel for the kids.

“We’re still hopeful here that something changes before now and the 10th, so we’re going with that.”

The cancellation of games and practices will effectively eat up two weeks of the Waterloo County schedule, as the final games prior to the students’ winter break is Dec. 20 and regular season play is to resume on Jan. 8.

If a deal isn’t reached by then, there is a chance an entire season could be wiped out.

“We’ve had this discussion,” White said.

“It’s horrible. There’s so many positives that come out of it and to squash it…

“You have kids that are coming back for their last year and they’re coming back for academics, but a big portion of that is athletics. It’s tough. I don’t have anything good to say, that’s for sure.”

WCSSAA president Darcy Mintz, the vice-principal at Forest Heights Collegiate Institute, said the news to halt extra-curricular activities came from the union on Monday at 3 p.m. and the WCSSAA board is in process of making contingency plans should the cancellation continue past Dec. 31, or if students can resume games and practices.

He added it hasn’t been discussed that if sports are back up and running whether the schedule will be shortened or the missed games will be made up. History has shown that if a chunk of a schedule is lost, just as it was in the spring of 2011 when daily rain cut short the soccer season, games won’t be rescheduled.

“At this point we’re only working on that two-week window,” Mintz said.

“We’ve talked about the next two weeks and how we’re going to handle it, and clearly in that two-week window we’re going to have to figure what are all the things we’re going to have to take into consideration.

“We’re looking at hopefully we can get through what we need to get through in that two-week window and then go from there.”

“Obviously, none of us are going to be happy about that, but we also understand that something needs to be done to address the present situation. We’re kind of waiting to hear where we go from here and what that involves for us,” she said.

Baulcomb admitted that she was surprised with the announcement as the news she was hearing was that the union was going to meet Tuesday night and make directives to the teachers on Wednesday.

“That’s honestly the first I’ve heard that. I’ve never heard anybody put a number on it,” she said.

“We’re all just saying, ‘I wonder what that means?’ I wonder if the next day if Laurel Broten (education minister) says you can’t do that and we’re back at it. There’s all kinds of rumours going on but no one seems to have the firm answers because our union, District 24, have not met for a meeting. That’s what they keep telling us.”

Baulcomb added that she didn’t think there would be an agreement anytime soon.

“People are saying different things and I don’t know who to believe. One of the things I’ve heard too is that this could be a long-standing fight and that’s not something we want to hear at this end either. But I would only be speculating to say that as we have no information on how long this will go on.”

GCI athletic director Diane Thompson didn’t want to comment on the job action, a day after her senior girls’ volleyball team played their first match of the season. They have one more to go on Thursday before the season is put on hold.

“I’m just going to stay out of it. I don’t feel it’s worth going public about it,” she said, though she offered a tidbit about the emotions of her coaching staff.

“What would you imagine (feelings) might be for the people who are coaching?”

While District 8 will continue to operate basketball, swimming and volleyball, Waterloo Catholic District School Board Inter School Athletic Convener Michael Grobe said in an email that the association hasn’t received any information from WCSSAA regarding their intentions about the sports where District 8 is a guest in the WCSSAA league – boys’ and girls’ hockey, wrestling and curling.

“Our president (Chris Woodcroft) has called a special meeting of the District 8 Athletic Association Executive to discuss the matter in full,” Grobe said.

“The meeting is scheduled for Friday afternoon. D8 hopes to have more clarity regarding this situation by Friday and will refrain from further comment until after that time.”